Midwest
Rep Dusty Johnson launches bid for South Dakota governor
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South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, the state’s sole member of the House, has announced a run for governor.
Johnson is chair of the House GOP’s Main Street Caucus and a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. He has served in Congress since 2019, following a job as vice president at a South Dakota-based engineering and consulting firm. Prior to his role as an executive, Johnson also worked as South Dakota Public Utilities commissioner from 2005 to 2011, during which he was appointed chief of staff to former Gov. Dennis Daugaard.
The announcement, deemed by local media as a “formality” after Johnson was already rumored to run, came Monday at a campaign event and was paired with a video the representative shared on social media.
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Rep. Dusty Johnson arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting in the Capitol on June 4, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“I’s been such an honor to work for you in Congress. We rolled up our sleeves and got things moving in the right direction, cutting trillions in wasteful spending, standing with President Trump to secure our border and finally getting tough on China,” Johnson said.
“Those were important fights to build a better country for our kids, but their future doesn’t begin in some far away place. It begins here, at home, in South Dakota. That’s why we need to hit the gas and give them a clear path to a bright future.”
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Rep. Dusty Johnson leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting in the Capitol on April 16, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Following the announcement, criticism began popping up online that Johnson has not adequately supported President Donald Trump, and claims he is a “never-Trumper” are “lies of the desperate.”
“Here are the facts,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “Donald Trump has had me down to Mar-a-Lago. I’ve gone to the Super Bowl with President Trump. I donated $10,000 to his re-election campaign years ago. He endorsed me in my 2020 race. I was his state campaign chairman for his re-elect.”
Johnson added that he is someone who has “a long-standing, multi-year history of being a partner” with Trump.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, chairman of the Main Street Caucus, is running for governor. (Getty Images)
Johnson also said he has proven to be a “key ally” of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R–La., noting he was one of the members of Congress who “helped deliver the votes to get him elected speaker.”
On the fight in the Senate over the Trump-endorsed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Johnson said he supports the version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives and expressed optimism it will get passed by the Senate by the GOP’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
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Pittsburgh voted best Fourth of July celebration in America
In 2026, Pittsburgh gets the bragging rights for the nation’s Best Fourth of July Celebration, as determined by voters in USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
Voting in Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began Friday morning, 46 days before the official Aug. 11 Primary Election Day.
Minnesotans confront a hugely important midterm election in the fall, when all constitutional offices, an open U.S. Senate seat, a highly competitive congressional district and the Legislature will be on the ballot. Control of both state government and Congress are at stake.
Before then, however, the parties will choose their nominees in a bevy of competitive races that will shape the fall election.
We don’t have party registration in Minnesota, which means anyone can vote in the primary.
Following the sweep of a progressive slate in several New York primaries this week, political analysts will be closely watching voters’ preferences, which will set the stage for the second half of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Here’s what you need to know.
Which races are on the ballot in Minnesota?
Every Minnesota citizen will have the opportunity to vote for statewide offices including governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor and U.S. Senator.
For this primary election, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. Your ballot will have Democrats on one column, and Republicans on the other. Choose one! If you vote for candidates from more than one political party, your votes will not count. You decide when you vote which one of the parties you will vote for.
The governor’s race is wide open for the first time since 2018, when Gov. Tim Walz won his first term. Walz initially announced he would run for a third term before ending his campaign in early January following Republican attacks on his record on stopping fraud in Minnesota’s social safety net programs.
The Senate seat is open following Sen. Tina Smith’s retirement announcement last year. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, still occupies the other Senate seat. (If Klobuchar were to win the governor’s race and resign her Senate seat, she would appoint a successor to hold the position until a special election.)
The entire state Legislature is up for reelection in 2026, but not every race has a competitive primary.
Voters may see other local races on their ballots, including county commissioners, county attorneys and school board members.
You can use this tool from the Secretary of State’s Office to preview your ballot.
How do I vote in Minnesota?
Friday, June 26, is the first day of absentee voting. You can request an absentee ballot be mailed to you, which you can return in-person or through the mail.
Alternatively, you can vote “in person absentee” by going to your local early voting location, where you can request your absentee ballot, receive it, fill it out and submit it on the spot.
Starting July 24, you can vote in-person at the early voting locations in a process similar to that of voting on Election Day.
Who’s running in Minnesota?
There are several competitive primaries in statewide races that will determine the matchups in the general election later this year.
For governor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to win the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination after winning the party’s endorsement on the first ballot, over a challenge from Kobey Lane, a 26-year old trans activist and former Republican legislative assistant.
The Republican primary is competitive; after Army veteran and former health care executive Kendall Qualls won the party’s endorsement in May, the other front-runners refused to drop out of the race, citing voting irregularities at the convention. House Speaker Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell round out the three-way race.
In the race to replace Smith in the Senate, two Democratic powerhouses are facing off: U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan won the endorsement after Craig dropped out of the endorsement process; Craig is gunning for votes outside of the party’s activist base.
On the Republican side, GOP-endorsed former Navy Seal Adam Schwarze will face off against former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, whose name recognition and well-financed campaign could boost her performance in a primary.
With Craig’s highly competitive south metro seat in the U.S. House coming open, three top-tier Democrats are vying to replace her: former state Sen. Matt Little, state Rep. Kaela Berg and state Sen. Matt Klein. State Sen. Eric Pratt is running unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Healthcare fraud: Hundreds charged by DOJ
Justice Department officials announced they are charging 455 defendants over schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged false claims.
Fox – Fox 9
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged more than 450 people — including more than two dozen Missouri residents — in connection with global health care fraud schemes totaling a record $6.5 billion.
The DOJ wrote in a news release on June 23 that the alleged fraud and opioid abuse schemes involved 455 people across 45 states who submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs and “caused significant patient harm, including death.” Ninety doctors and other licensed medical professionals are among those charged in the schemes.
In all, 56 federal districts and 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participated in the investigation ― the most in the DOJ’s history.
“Health care fraud steals from taxpayers, exploits vulnerable patients, and puts lives at risk,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said. “Today’s historic enforcement action sends a clear message: if you use our health care system to enrich yourself at the expense of patients or the American people, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will hold you accountable.”
Luxury cars, fine art and a hotel in the Philippines
Since June 8, hundreds of defendants have been arrested in connection with the schemes, in what the DOJ is calling the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
In one case in Arizona, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said a corporate executive allegedly took $1 billion in taxpayer funds after billing for wound grafts and charging more than $1 million per patient. The money was later allegedly used to buy million-dollar homes, luxury cars and even build a hotel in the Philippines.
In another case in Florida, three defendants were charged for their roles in an $118 million allograft fraud scheme where a nurse practitioner allegedly used the proceeds to fund their lavish lifestyle, including a luxury box at an NFL stadium and over $400,000 in fine art.
How many Missourians have been charged in the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Take Down?
Twenty-four Missourians have been charged in the state for their alleged participation in health care fraud, with three others being charged out of state. The most common charges include “false statement to receive a health care payment” and “stealing by deceit in connection with Medicaid fraud.”
Two of the complaints allege that the accused parties fraudulently pocketed more than $100,000.
- Michelle Terry, 48, of Saint Peters, was charged with Medicaid fraud and stealing. Terry, who owns an adult daycare center, is accused of submitting false claims for purported services to four Medicaid recipients from May 2023 to September 2024, collecting $114,480.32 in Medicaid funds in the process.
- Chontell Wilkes, 34, and Sandra Wilkes, 55, of St. Louis, were charged with Medicaid fraud and stealing. The pair owns Smiles Adult Day Care, and are accused of submitting 1,418 false claims for adult day care services that were not provided. Through this scheme, Medicaid paid the Wilkeses more than $121,362.20 for services not provided.
In total, the cases cost the state more than $613,000, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a news release.
What is health care fraud?
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation states that health care fraud is defined as intentionally deceiving the health care system to receive illegal benefits or payments. It can be committed by medical providers, patients and other individuals.
What are the most common types of health care fraud?
The FBI lists the following as some of the most common types of health care fraud committed by medical providers:
- Double-billing: Submitting multiple claims for the same service.
- Phantom billing: Billing for a service visit or supplies that the patient never received.
- Unbundling: Submitting multiple bills for the same service.
- Upcoding: Billing for a more expensive service than the patient actually received.
Common types of fraud committed by patients and other individuals include:
- Bogus marketing: Convincing people to provide their health insurance identification number and other personal information to bill for non-rendered services, steal their identity, or enroll them in a fake benefit plan.
- Identity theft/identity swapping: Using another person’s health insurance or allowing another person to use your insurance.
- Impersonating a health care professional: Providing or billing for health services or equipment without a license.
Common types of fraud involving prescriptions included:
- Forgery: Creating or using forged prescriptions.
- Diversion: Diverting legal prescriptions for illegal uses, such as selling your prescription medication.
- Doctor shopping: Visiting multiple providers to get prescriptions for controlled substances, or getting prescriptions from medical offices that engage in unethical practices.
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – On this day 154 years ago, the University of Nebraska held its first commencement ceremony — without any graduates.
The university was founded three years before the ceremony.
In place of diplomas, the university presented an honorary doctorate to the Rev. Bishop Clarkson of Omaha.
It wasn’t until the following year that the first students graduated from the university.
By the end of the 1870s, graduation had become a week of celebrations.
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